Prologue: The Reality of Dreams
"Suzuno Oosugi, have you made up your mind on whether or not you shall consent to our request?"
A girl stood before the man addressing her, looking up with determined olive green eyes. She had thought the matter over all night, weighing the consequences of her actions.
"Emperor Tagawa," the girl, Suzuno, spoke in a polite tone of voice, "I, Suzuno Oosugi, accept your request and shall become Sairou's savior and priestess."
A smiled flashed across the man sitting in front of Suzuno's face. Emperor Tagawa arose and quietly whispered something to his advisor. Then he turned back to Suzuno and stated with odd simplicity, "before you start your journey to assemble the Seven Stars of the great god, Byakko, do you have any questions?"
Suzuno pulled her braided pigtails over one shoulder and nodded sternly. Last night she had thought all of this through very thoroughly, "you told me an enemy opposes you, although, you made no mention of who they are. I would like to be informed of such things before I...journey..." she hesitated and let out an unnoticeable sigh, she wasn't use to being so formal.
"Very well, I suppose it's only fair." Tagawa reseated himself in his silver plated throne and stared off at the wall above Suzuno's right ear.
"This land is separated into four main countries, Hokkan, Kutou, Konan, and Sairou. However, the land extends past these main borders into unclaimed territories. Areas that aren't part of the four countries, but not large or strong enough to become a country themselves." He went on without pause, "One such group to the southeast of Sairou has been gathering. The majority of the territories worship Seiryu, the God of Kutou, though a select few worship Genbu, God of Hokkan. They have been making plans to overthrow the Sairou empire in the name of Seiryu for quite some time now, so long, we never really planned they'd do anything.
"That was until a few months ago when sixteen towns on the borders of southern Sairou were taken over and the residing citizens captured as slaves. Legend has it that a girl from another world will appear and save our empire in a time of need, which is where you are needed." He looked at Suzuno with piercing bronze eyes, "does that answer your question?"
Suzuno uttered a quick 'yes' before turning away from Tagawa to the group of random soldiers and townsfolk who had gathered before the Emperor to see him send out Sairou's new Priestess. She let out a long breath of air before walking past the group. Suzuno still wasn't entirely sure this whole thing was real. She would've been completely convinced it was a dream, that was if it hadn't been for Takiko and her father...had it only been yesterday she rediscovered that old, Chinese book in her father's study? The Universe of the Four Gods...
"Suzuno Oosugi, have you made up your mind on whether or not you shall consent to our request?"
A girl stood before the man addressing her, looking up with determined olive green eyes. She had thought the matter over all night, weighing the consequences of her actions.
"Emperor Tagawa," the girl, Suzuno, spoke in a polite tone of voice, "I, Suzuno Oosugi, accept your request and shall become Sairou's savior and priestess."
A smiled flashed across the man sitting in front of Suzuno's face. Emperor Tagawa arose and quietly whispered something to his advisor. Then he turned back to Suzuno and stated with odd simplicity, "before you start your journey to assemble the Seven Stars of the great god, Byakko, do you have any questions?"
Suzuno pulled her braided pigtails over one shoulder and nodded sternly. Last night she had thought all of this through very thoroughly, "you told me an enemy opposes you, although, you made no mention of who they are. I would like to be informed of such things before I...journey..." she hesitated and let out an unnoticeable sigh, she wasn't use to being so formal.
"Very well, I suppose it's only fair." Tagawa reseated himself in his silver plated throne and stared off at the wall above Suzuno's right ear.
"This land is separated into four main countries, Hokkan, Kutou, Konan, and Sairou. However, the land extends past these main borders into unclaimed territories. Areas that aren't part of the four countries, but not large or strong enough to become a country themselves." He went on without pause, "One such group to the southeast of Sairou has been gathering. The majority of the territories worship Seiryu, the God of Kutou, though a select few worship Genbu, God of Hokkan. They have been making plans to overthrow the Sairou empire in the name of Seiryu for quite some time now, so long, we never really planned they'd do anything.
"That was until a few months ago when sixteen towns on the borders of southern Sairou were taken over and the residing citizens captured as slaves. Legend has it that a girl from another world will appear and save our empire in a time of need, which is where you are needed." He looked at Suzuno with piercing bronze eyes, "does that answer your question?"
Suzuno uttered a quick 'yes' before turning away from Tagawa to the group of random soldiers and townsfolk who had gathered before the Emperor to see him send out Sairou's new Priestess. She let out a long breath of air before walking past the group. Suzuno still wasn't entirely sure this whole thing was real. She would've been completely convinced it was a dream, that was if it hadn't been for Takiko and her father...had it only been yesterday she rediscovered that old, Chinese book in her father's study? The Universe of the Four Gods...